Music Reviews

Marye Lobb was born in the Midwest and raised in Rochester, New York. She apparently got the urge to travel the globe and after doing so ended up back in New York playing in clubs in New York City. She apparently did a lot of traveling in Ireland, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile and there are influences from all of those sources but the main style is Bossa Nova. She has a beautiful voice, and the arrangements compliment her voice very well. She has toured extensively throughout the United States, Chile, Brazil, and Greece. Her site also describes her as having Quaker and Buddhist ideals at heart, and putting herself through Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

She released this album, Not At War, in March of 2012. The Bossa Nova style is still the main influence in her music as she talks about being at peace with and proud of who you are. As on her first album she wrote all of the songs except one, Blackbird by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, she spent Spring 2012 touring the U.S. and is now back in New York City working on new material.

In her notes on her web site she seems to be reflecting her state of mind in giving out thanks. In her own words, "Thank you to my friends and family for being so supportive and encouraging while I worked on this – it means the world to me! A very special thank you Kathleen for providing me with a home and place to focus while I worked on this project. Thank you to the LobbMob and my New York City family for being my cheerleaders. Thank you to Meditation, Central Park and bike riding for keeping me calm. Thank you to New York City for always challenging me, inspiring me and keeping me creative.

I am 'NOT AT WAR' with myself anymore. To all the listeners out there that I have yet to meet and those I already know: I hope this album helps you to find 'home' inside yourself – wherever you may be. xo marye"

Both albums can be found on iTunes. The title song, Not At War, illustrates some of this: "3am. There I am, lying there, rememberin’ / I was all, that you told me to be. / Too many nights. Too many days. Too many hours. / Too many ways. To listen to words that were not my own. / I’m not at war with myself anymore. / I’m not at war with myself anymore. / I’m not at war with myself anymore. / I’ll let it be what it is. / I’ll let be what it is. / I’ll let it be what is is. / What it has to be. / What it wants to be. / What it has to be. / What it needs to be…"

Let Go shows the difficulty she may have had in finding peace and not being at war with herself any more. "I didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. / I didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. / I didn’t wanna let go. Didn’t wanna let go. If this is our last night, then hold me in your arms real tight. / Right now I gotta break free. Take a good look at me, look at the shape of the ship that’s pointing out to sea. / But I don’t wanna be me. I’m scared of what I might see. I’m too afraid to let go of what I already know. / I don’t wanna let go. I don’t wanna let go. / Hold me. Hold me. / I don’t wanna let go. I don’t wanna let go. / Give me some space and time, I promise you that we’ll be fine. / I gotta find a way to be myself again. I gotta find my way back home."

As with her first album, the singing and performance are excellent as well as the material, and is very well performed and arranged.

The project opens with a bit of a nod to Patsy Cline or many of the late 50’s and early 60’s female contry vocalists, heavy reverb pours through the speaker, then goes over board, and Rachel Brooke takes the reigns and a country blues shuffle leaps out of the system. The musicianship is undeniable and though a throwback to another time, it’s also a creation of its own. The first cut is so cool you have to continue to listen. The second track is a complete departure from the first tune and invokes New Orleans or ragtime on a some sort of steroid. This artist isn’t playing, she’s done her homework and has drank long from many wells, that’s just the writing portion, the production and vocal styling is familiar, but about as far from Nashville as we are from Jupiter. Brooke’s ability to wrap her complex lyrics around the tune and production is like watching a tight rope walker. The use of instrumentation in the second cut is amazing, the mix is perfect. The third cut is so 1950’s that I have to check the PR again to make sure this is a current recording, and it is. A Killer's Dream!

The work is produced by Brooke’s and Andy Van Guilder who also recorded and mixed. The supporting players are plentiful, and each add to rather than take from the work. Van Guilder did a fabulous job of placement in each tune, and the overall vibe is true to certain eras, but between the two have created a new view at the old art form known at Country Music. There are moments that harken back, but always a new twist appears in either lyrical or vocal performance. The arrangements of instrumentation alone are worth the listen.

Brooke’s is a singer’s singer with a wonderful range and ability to rock out or yodel with the best of them. The sixth track is a perfect example of this, and Brooke’s proves herself to be a generous artist sharing the tune with Lonesome Wyatt on this tender ballad.

This is a very strong departure from what we know, expect or recognize from artists considering themselves "Country." Brooke brings it all back to where it started. She is standing alone, probably at the bottom of a very steep hill, but she’s not playing it safe following the herd, she’s blazing her own trail.

If you like the blues, country or straight ahead rock, this is a project that will delight and make you reconsider where the art form has gravitated towards or from in the past twenty years. What we hear out of Nashville is rock, Brooke’s is giving back to the likes of the artists that were at the Ryman [Auditorium] for their turn on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Listening to Brooke’s reveals the genre of the 1930’s with a twist that appears to be new, but comes from a long tradition.

This piece of work is amazing, entertaining and filled with tunes that writers would die for. Rachel Brooke is an individual in an art form that is filled with artists that are indistinguishable from one another. "Country" ain’t that anymore, but Rachel Brooke brings it all back home in a huge mirror called A Killer’s Dream. Do yourself a favor and buy the darn thing.

When I first saw the title of this project I immediately thought of the birth of the soul movement. Many contribute that to Motown/Detroit, but in our narrative or lexicon, soul’s birth originated in the city of brotherly love. Dick Clark’s American Bandstand came straight out of Philly. It not only ran on the city's influence, but brought in New York’s vocal groups and early bands, then began to bring in the rest of the country's new music. This would have been in the mid- to late 1950’s, the new art forms of Rock, Soul, Rockabilly, and Pop began to flow in from all over. As listeners, it was the final pull away from big band, jazz and New York Pop, music was being filtered through Clark’s program. The second wave of the Philadelphia influence was much later in the mid 1980’s with Hall & Oates, who were heavily influenced by mainly black artists of that city and the rest of the East Coast. The Bacon Brothers came from that period, though earlier influences can be heard in the project also.

Kevin and Michael Bacon have been making music long before the soap operas and then Hollywood came a knocking on the Bacon home's front door. This project is a compilation of twenty of the best of their tunes. There are influences from many worlds, some in the Folk tradition, others from Country, Soul and Rock 'n' Roll. The project is consistent in production values, and due to the brothers using the same supporting players since the band's conception, the tunes are from three recordings; the twenty tunes all fit. Both brothers are great storytellers and writers.

Michael is a musician working professionally scoring films; he is heard on vocals, cello and guitar. Kevin is behind vocals, guitars, percussion as well as harmonica. The rest of the band includes Paul Guzzone supporting on bass, guitar & vocals, while Joe Mennonna works keyboards and accordion. Frank Vilardi is the drummer/percussionist while Ira Siegal supports on electric, acoustic guitars and vocals. This is a tight band that has been working for over 15 years, it shows in each track.

The strong points of the project are some of the ballads taken on by both brothers, but Michael has a tender slant on his tunes. He paints images that work well for the listener. There is a quality of sophistication and musical theory in his work. His vocals are as tender as his images, very smooth, warm and inviting.

Kevin appears to be the rocker of the writing team, with a gritty way of looking at life. What I really enjoy about his tunes is the sense of influences I note while hearing his work. He doesn’t attempt to emulate other artists, but there is a sense that he listened to many great artists, and as all great writers do, taken a bit from all of his influences.

There are allot of tunes on this work, which is taking a chance in itself, but what’s amazing is there isn’t a clinker contained within. The project rolls on effortlessly with many textures, rarely repeats itself and keeps the listener engaged. The project is fun, solid musicianship, the Bacon Brothers take risks in their writing and playing. If you’re a fan of pop music, this is one of those CDs that keeps one not only thinking of the tune being played, but the influences that lead the writers to their composition.

Local/Singer/Songwriter“Ragpickers”Paul Benoitwww.kkpaulbenoitmusic.comThis recording burst out on the first track, “Bloom”, with a driving acoustic guitars out front, then the strong clear vocal wraps around the lyric exclaiming as the blues always does, a nod to the opposite sex. The comping guitar riffs, as the lead guitar are strong with shades of the blues and rock. As a player you know you’ve had a good listen when you want to pick your axe and join in or find a groove as deep to emulate. Benoit lays back with the second track, continuing the acoustic bed of acoustic guitar, then the rhythm section drives this lament called, “ Don’t Hate Me” but allows Benoit’s lyric and vocal to clearly speak. The lead guitar once again never over powers the main riff, it is as it should be, the spice to the track.The production and mix on this work is a consistent portion of the work, Benoit’s vocals and lyrical content are important to each track, care was given to this aspect of his work. Benoit & Blake Harkins co-produced the work at Lost & Found Studios, in West Seattle. Benoit is no novice at his craft and has assembled lengthy relationships with those he records with.For the past twenty years he has used the same supporting players on his projects, his mates, sidemen, collaborators are tight and a testament to the vested time put into the sound as a unit. Benoit’s rhythm section is Tige Decoster holding it all down on bass, Dan Weber on solid as well as tasty drums while Hugh Sutton is behind the keyboards. Benoit’s guitar work drives or lays the foundations for the production and tunes. Benoit’s lead work is very tasty, mature and compliments never distracts from the rest of the production.“Ragpickers” the title tune of the disc is Benoit’s break out track from the first two tracks with a great shuffle feel. Benoit’s vocal work is very strong on this tune, but the lyrical content is so strong it’s difficult to say which is really shines brighter. The arrangements are all tasty, but this track breaks away, this tune illuminates a master in his element. Tunes like this just don’t come along every day.Benoit does not rest on his laurels, each track has a different feel, based in the blues. Some of it takes me back to the hey day of several artists, but pigeon holing this artist would be a mistake. Sutton’s work on fourth track sets up the tune, the lead guitar is like butter, it just flows. These are some tasty players working behind Benoit’s tales and solid vocal work.Had a brief conversation with the artist and he said his next project was going to be a bit more Folk/Americana, I can tell from his acoustic work that this would be a natural path for him to take, but this cat wraps around the blues so well, one can only hope that he puts this thinking cap on again. The acoustic guitar work in “Black Bag Blues” is as smooth and cool as any player I have ever listened to and worth the price of admission alone.Benoit’s take on the Delta influence leaps out on the following track as does his time spent cultivating lyrical acrobatic work from the likes of Dylan and other contemporary artists. “But Not You”, would be another argument for Benoit to come back to this well and drink again, the genre needs writers and players who take two art forms and creates a third. Few do it these day, the formula is found and then it’s variations on a theme. This work is dripping with authenticity.Original work is rare these days, Benoit creates vibes that are at least ten miles thick. He synthesizes blues, rock and pop, coming out the other side with a profound work, that could be as commercial as the day is long. This artist excels at lyrical content, his vocals are in the pocket, the players support Benoit’s work with reverence, the mix, production and mastering are as accessible as this artists heart and soul are. Good work!Review by Christopher Brant Anderson

Produced by: Pharis and Jason RomeroReleased: 2013 www.pharisandjason.com Pharis and Jason Romero first met in 2007 and started playing together. They both had quite a bit of musical background in performing and blended well as is evident in their music. Their first album together was released in 2007 and this is their second release as a duo. Along with making albums and performing they also teach in music camps and bluegrass workshops. For bluegrass lovers this album will be very pleasing. The musicianship and singing are excellent as is the song writing.Seven of the songs are written or co-written by them. The production is also first class. The music features the traditional bluegrass instruments, guitar, banjo, and fiddle and the lyrics and melodies are also traditional. The lyrics by themselves appear to be on the down side, but the melodies and performing have a bright upbeat feel on most of the songs and the atmosphere of the album is light and upbeat.It starts out with a song written by Pharis titled Sad Old Song: And the whole room dies down when you sing out a sad songOne little voice to carry the room alongBut it don’t matter when the room dies downThe playing on the acoustic instruments is well done and has a good feel to it. The songs are the old story telling type of songs about people traveling through the west, like Long Gone Out West Blues: Going out west for the mountain breezeThe high plains are killing meWhere the wild still roam and the trees grow highIt’s a long gone out west bluesTruck Driver Blues continues the traveling atmosphere with its bits of country real life lessons and philosophies: Feeling tired and weary from my head down to my shoesSaid I’m feeling tired and weary from my head down to my shoesGot a low down feeling truck driver’s bluesRide, ride, ride on into townThere’s a honkytonk gal a-waiting, and I’ve got troubles to drownNever did have nothing, got nothing left to loseSaid I never did have nothing, got nothing left to loseGot a low down feeling, truck driver’s bluesThere is a break in the vocal numbers with Lost Lula and again with Sally Goodin which are banjo instrumentals and display some nice finger picking as do all of the songs.If you like bluegrass I really think you will like this album.[Greg Bennett]

The Quiet American is the name of a duo made up of a husband and wife by the names of Aaron and Nicole Keim. The instruments they play are too numerous to mention. They include many traditional bluegrass instruments like guitar, banjo, lap steel, and many others, some Aaron built himself. He spent time in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon where he worked as a luthier for Mys-Moe Ukuleles. Prior to that he lived and performed in Colorado with a band called Boulder Acoustic Society, after which he went back to basics and old time folk music. Nicole is a musician and artist and met and teamed up with Aaron in Oregon where they both shared a love of old traditional folk music.The Album starts out with upbeat bluegrass tunes, Apple in the Fall, Give the Fiddler a Dream, Come Walkin’ with Me. Posey’s Song has the feel of an old Irish folk song from long ago and is sung by Nicole to a mythical character named Wild Bill Jones, whose tale is told in the song Wild Bill Jones.The duo also includes old fashioned bluegrass style gospel music such as Keys to the Kingdom: “I’ve got the keys to the kingdomPlease unlock the doorI’ve got the keys to the kingdomThe world can’t do me no harm.”Some of the songs are written by the Keims and some are traditional songs arranged by them and three are by other authors. One of the more well known traditional songs is Gallows Pole:“Lover did you bring me silverLover did you bring me goldLover did you bring me anythingTo keep me from the gallows poleYou didn’t bring me silverYou didn’t bring me goldYou just came to watch me hangHanging from the gallows pole”The album is supposedly about the old West character Wild Bill Jones but most of the songs could really be about anything in history and about the old West in general. The musicianship is excellent and the sincerity and feeling is evident in their treatment and performance of the music. They display skill and background with their instruments and include a few others on three of the tracks on bass, fiddle, harmonica, and guitar. The album comes across to me like a very romantic journey through the old West. It is filled with upbeat bluegrass, old time gospel and ballads like What Are They Doing In Heaven Today. The music is entirely acoustic and would appeal to those who like old guitar and banjo folk music.

Fieldnotes From A Caravan is an album of songs written by Shanna Underwood on her travels through Nepal, Thailand, and the United States. The album was released in January 2011 and includes an assortment of musicians including, upright bass, drums, electric guitar, fiddle, and harmonica. She herself sings and plays acoustic guitar. The style of the music might be called country blues, although many of the songs are more of a country acoustic style. Her vocals are very rich and well blended with the instruments. The musicianship is excellent as well her song writing. The album opens with There Was A Town which is about small town life and how some people stay and some leave and what it is like to leave and try to come back:“There was a town It started small Smelled like saltwater and smoke in the fall But folks move around And now its grown They weren’t lying when they said you can’t go home You can never go homeYou can’t love a town for what you want it to be You’ve got to love that town for what it is And find a little happinessThere was a boy He was kind and strong In a young girl’s eyes he could do no wrong But folks move around And now she’s gone Left for school, but this is till the only town he’s known Old mills and stone”From Appalachia to the Himalayas is about her travels in that part of the world:

“Sebago Lake in the summer time Come on in, the water is fine Don’t be shy, take it all off I’ll tell you a secret after it gets darkThe leaves are on fire, they’re starting to fall When they blow away, it makes me feel so small I light the wood left in the stove, the smell of smoke Makes me feel less aloneFrom Appalachia to the Himalayas I never met anyone like you.”She does a nice job of putting her experiences to music and into her lyrics. The arrangements are blended well with the acoustic feel all the way through the album and a good mix of guitar, fiddle, and harmonica, as well as the other instruments filling out the sound. Shanna sings with a very comfortable style and has a beautiful voice. It takes the listener through a story of her experiences and ends with a song that has a bit of sadness in it titled Willingly:There’s a shore that’s safeWe call it home Water looks deep and cold, but there’s a life out there I knowThe siren of dreams is calling meSaying jump on inSomedays you just got to let it goBut my fingers getting torn baby busted and wornScraping at the shell of a dreamI get up in the morning and runCause I don’t know how else to beI may fall on the pavementI may get rained onBut I’ll walk into that ocean, willingly

The album is very well done, and Shanna Underwood is well worth listening to.[Greg Bennett]

Alexander is almost local, she’s out of British Colombia, which on a good day is close enough to call our own.The product was recorded by John MacArthur Ellis at Nashcroft Manor in BC. Alexander is found on vocals, writing, kazoo and piano, Ellis is on acoustic, electric, pedal steel guitars, keys and bass. Hank Hendrix works on Dobro, mandolin and banjo. Rob Becker takes up bass on the third track and is also on supporting vocal work. Mike Schmidt is behind the kit on tracks 1, 2, 5, 7 & 10, while Pat Steward plays drums on tracks, 3, 4, 9.Alexander pens tunes that are in what I would call an eclectic mood, but she also has a bit of Tom Waits, living somewhere in her conscious or subconscious mind or memory. I like the way she moves from very alternative tracks to very ‘out there’ tracks that float through effortlessly. She takes risk, which makes me smile and has no fear about taking a bit of license with the tune, “Nola” with a nod to The Kinks and rock in general. The production values change effortlessly as does the lyrical content of her tunes.Alexander is a vocalist and she risks much with her ballads or show tune vibe, but can belt out a straight ahead rock vibe. She’s her own woman when it comes to the nature of her vocals and writing, I kept listening for this or that influence, I’m sure there are artists that have impressed her, but she gives no quarter or illuminates little beyond her own style or tune. The production values are complimentary to writing as well as her vocal approach. There are some good players behind each the vocal and tune.There is a very soft side to Leslie’s work, but there is also a forged edge also. Some of her tracks seem to be conversations with somebody that did her wrong, but she’s not getting even, she seems to just be telling her truth. I like the no self-pity approach to the inner and outer workings of life as a woman. She is very straight ahead with lyrical content, does not pull any punches, which works well for her rock tunes. She uses great imagery to convey her emotional vibe.“What Did I Do”, the sixth track reveals another side to the lady. She becomes tender and beckoning with her plea. This is a very nice track, the production works well and the mix perfectly matches the mood of the piece. As I have already discovered, Alexander doesn’t rest on her laurels, the next track is more of a rock/bluegrass vibe that is unrelenting in it’s lyric and tale. Alexander shines on this track vocally and may be one of my top tracks on the project. Awesome playing going on within this for three minutes and forty-nine seconds.“Gimme” slows down the train again and another character or side of Alexander is revealed. Alexander is not afraid to be rough or vulnerable, which to me makes an artist. She risks on each cut and it pays off in grand dividends for the ear. The title cut, “Nobody’s Baby” unfolds like an anthem for Alexander, but also for all of her genders side of the road. Again, the cut is lyrically straight ahead, the production illuminates her emotions well.This is a very good product from our friend up North; Alexander is hopefully writing and honing the next piece of work to share with us.[Christopher Brant Anderson]

http://www.davidnewberry.ca/www.facebook.com/davidnewberrymusicwww.youtube.com/davidnewberrymusichttp://davidnewberry.bandcamp.com/album/no-one-will-remember-youDavid Newberry is a folk singer form Canada whose style is very similar to early Dylan. The music has a strong electric side to it and is very well produced and arranged. He has a good feel for music and is a very talented musician, singer, and songwriter.The other musicians are talented as well and it shows in the performances. The electric arrangements and performances of the music along with his solid vocals make it a strong folk/rock album. His start in music was not what one might expect.He injured his hand while working as an assistant carpenter and started playing guitar as physical therapy for his recovery and has developed a style that would fit in well with the sixties folk singers. He was also a fan of punk music which is not at all like the music he now performs.This is his second album, his first, When We Learn The Things We Need To Learn, was released in 2010 and has spent the years making the rounds of festivals and cafes in his performing career. When I start paying attention to the lyrics there is a down side though. He sings a lot about the negative side of life as in So It Goes:I have heard of the days when they paved streets with goldNow we all walk around in Jack Kerouac’s coatPreaching the dharma from a packet of smokesMaking fools of ourselves on the daytime talk showsHe even makes a comment about in the liner notes for English Bay where he says sometimes people tell me that instead of just critiquing everything, I should offer alternatives.They promised us a tunnel through a mountain steepTo pass along the treasures from the ocean deepJust because you wake up here don’t mean you sleepYou’ll be buried by the railway side counting sheepIn the song Mister he is very straight forward and brief in his notes: This song is about a hangover.So I packed up as quietly as I couldAnd I took to the night after youAnd I left behind all that I’d promised I’d wantedAnd all that I’d promised to doHe has a little note about each song in the booklet that comes with the album and for the final song, To Hope, he writes: this song – an unrequited love letter to hopefulness – was recorded entirely live, sitting in a circle in the living room, very late into the night on the final evening of the recording sessions: there will always be a better day.He has a very nice style that is easy to listen to and is a very talented singer and songwriter. In spite of the negative critiquing of the world and of life in general his performance makes the album nice to listen to. He has a good voice and a good sound and good arrangements. The album has a mix of acoustic/electric folk/rock and bluegrass influence with the last song, To Hope, picking up the atmosphere with an upbeat bluegrass performance.[Greg Bennett]

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is comprised of The Reverend Peyton on slide guitars, mandolin,vocals and harmonica. Washboard Breezy Peyton is on, yep, the washboard, percussion and backing vocals. Aaron “Cuz” Persinger works on bucket, drums, percussion and just plain hollering. All the tunes were written by the Reverend and the album was also produced by the Rev and Paul Mahern at Mahern’s, White Arc Studios in Bloomigton, Indiana.“Between The Ditches” is a roaring product that jumps out fast & furious and never stops driving forward. Peyton’s lyrical approach is just as rapid as his playing; he gives no quarter to the subject he is writing about. Peyton’s deliveries with his vocals are as unique as his playing, they are meant to be rough and mesh well with his style of playing. Peyton makes mention of his luthier on the cover and I can hear where and why that was published, he lays into his instrument on each track with abandon producing a very cool and big damned sound.Peyton’s vision for this work is clear; he is here to get your attention and your toe tapping. This isn’t the straight ahead blues work that accompanies many blues players. There is a quality in the work that reminds me of early rock attempts by Blue Oyster Cult and other late 60’s rock groups to communicate their feeling for the art form. Peyton cements the feeling down and honed his own vision.One of the aspects that just jumps off the product is the backing rhythms and beats, they drive as hard as Peyton’s playing. I also really like how the backing vocals were placed in the mix to augment the feeling of some of the tracks. The vocals parts are as complex and as important as any of the guitar work or percussion.There is a propensity in the listener to feel that the cuts could be a continuum of the previous track, but Peyton distinctively finds another vibe on his guitar that leads the listener to another place. Sometimes his lyrical content can get a bit lost, but he tends to augment what is really important to the tune or what he is attempting to communicate to his audience.Peyton has a playfulness to this work that serves it well. I have a feeling this is a serious artist that takes it all a bit tongue in cheek. Peyton isn’t selling anything; he’s conveying a message with an intensity rarely found in many blues projects. What is astounding is his commitment to each track and the energy used to accomplish the final work. From the down beat this product drives like a teenager set free in the family car for their first drive on the open road.If you like the blues and monster slide guitar work this is a must listen. The work is serious blues with a huge helping of playfulness that sometimes diverges into a bluegrass feel or a straight-ahead rock feel. What impresses me the most in the listen is the clarity found in all that is happening in the production. Peyton certainly approached this work with vision and remained true to it.Simply a great listen with very cool playing and well crafted tunes.[Christopher Brant Anderson]